Wednesday: Expansion Teams?

There has been recent talk about an NHL expansion team in Seattle, and all of that has led to some very cool concepts here on HJC. The first concept of the day is an expansion concept, but first I have to hype you all up for the awesome contest going on!
 
Last Wednesday, Ryan broke the news that HJC would be hosting the Grand Rapid Griffins alternate jersey contest. A week later, we have seen a bunch of cool entries, and each one of those has an equal chance of being worn in an AHL game! We almost always have a contest going on, but there aren't many that end up in the winner being worn on the ice. My first concept on HJC was in the Colgate College competition, and I will most certainly enter this contest. Will you?
 

COTW July 28-Aug 3 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

HJC Open Final entries (due TONIGHT @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Grand Rapids Griffins Competition (ends August 31st)

  
Here's that expansion concept I mentioned...
 
Justin S. - CHL Expansion Concept

Design: This is one of the most interesting concept that I have seen in a while! I love concepts that have a story, and this one shows us an expansion of the CHL. The Abbotsford Heat concept is my favorite in the set. I like the unique yoke, and the striping is good look for that team. It is very cool that the Brantford concept uses the same crest from the late 1970's. The Lynx jerseys also have some pretty interesting angled striping. The side-views are also very cool. I wish we way more of those on HJC.
  
Score: 7.5/10 - There's a lot going on here, but there's a lot of good here as well. This is an awesome concept!
 
 
Mario A. - Detroit Red Wings Concept

Design: Mario's Red Wings concept is a very interesting concept in that it mixes their 2014 Winter Classic uniforms and their current home & away set. It is a pretty cool attempt, but I think it is a step backwards for Mario as it looks very much like "fill tool" jersey. The side panels on the red jersey is where this becomes really obvious. I think that the creme side panels would look better if they were red.
  
Score: 6/10 - The creme doesn't mix well with white in this scenario. Some teams can get away with this, but Detroit has been red & white forever.
 
 
Mario A. - HJC Jersey Concept

Design: It would be really cool if HJC made jerseys! I really like this design, and contrary to Mario's previous concept, the creme looks very good with white. The striping looks great with the crest, and the yoke looks awesome in the way it matches the striping. The only thing that would make this concept better would be a red outline around the numbers.
  
Score: 8/10 - I know that I said this last time, but this is definitely Mario's best concept yet!
 
 
Phil B. - Buffalo Sabres Soccer Concept

Design: I'm not much of a soccer guy, but I'll do my best here. Phil's jerseys remind me of the Sabres' terrible alternates that they introduced last year, but somehow, these look much better than that jersey. The sponsor makes sense given the location of the team, but I think stripes on the socks would add a lot to the concept.
  
Score: 7.5/10 - This is a really cool idea! I think that hockey jerseys translate better to soccer concepts than any other sport.
 
 
Phil B. - Carolina Hurricanes Concept

Design: My first observation is that the striping is absolutely perfect for this concept! The crest seems to be too large for me, but if made smaller, it could look really good. I'd love to see what Phil could come up with for a dark uniform. Maybe one based off of their old black alternate?
  
Score: 7/10 - I really can't wait to see the rest of this series.
 
 
Jake88 - Stockton Thunder Concept

Design: The Stockton Thunder's uniforms really benefit from their color scheme of black and yellow. I personally think that it is the best color scheme in sports. Anyway, I think that the arm striping is a work of art, and looks significantly better than the lightning bolt on the Thunder's current uniforms. I think that the sublimated lightning bolt behind the crest is a very cool detail, but I'm unsure that it would show very well on the actual jersey.
  
Score: 8/10 - The sock striping made to match the arm striping is one of the best details of this concept.
 
 
Tyler G. - Anaheim Ducks Concept

Design: Tyler has created a new Ducks uniform set, but this one is for those that don't like all of the orange. I like that this concept has a more traditional striping pattern, but I also like that the Ducks new set is so unique. Keeping the yoke on both jerseys was a great call!
  
Score: 8.5/10 - The Ducks have gone with a 4 uniform rotation in the past, so why not try it with these?
 
 
Cristian L. - Vancouver Canucks Concept

Design: Chirstian's Canucks concept cleans up the "plate of spaghetti" logo and creates one heck of a new identity for the Canucks! All of the important details of the crest stay, but all of the extraneous lines have been cleaned up. The old school look even continues onto the shoulder patches. The never before seen striping pattern looks amazing! Overall this concept is a breath of fresh air with a blast from the past.
   
Score: 9.5/10 - It kills me a little bit to nominate a Canucks concept, but here I go... Christian's concept is my COTW Nomination!

 
That's all for this week! Get started on your Griffins Contest entries. Next thing you know, the future stars of the NHL could be wearing them! And before I sign off, remember to vote for COTW this week! It was a really tough choice for me, so help decide the winner with just a single email.